?
?
"Sensuous Steel: Art Deco Automobiles," an exhibition at Nashville's Frist Center for the Visual Arts, opened last month and will continue through Sept. 15. Curated by Ken Gross, former director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, the collection showcases custom and one-of-a-kind classic cars made from 1929 to 1941, a time when automakers sought to communicate streamlined aerodynamics, luxury and optimism about the future of the machine age.
By Maria Carter
\nThis streamlined model, which appealed to a more affluent segment than Packard\'s usual customer base, also features triangular rear interior lamps, distinctive chrome windshield moldings, and curved hood louvers.", credit: "Peter Harholdt", sourceid: null, sourcename: "", sourceurl: null, sourcelogo: "", thumbsrc: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/YM/classic-coupes-02-0713-smn.jpg", src: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/i3/classic-coupes-02-0713-lgn.jpg", srcwidth: 600, srcheight: 450 }, { id: "slide3", url: "classic-coupes-7-sleek-rides-of-the-1920s-and-30s-3", slidetype: "image", title: "1934 Voisin Type C27 A?rosport Coupe", description: "Like many automobiles of the era, the Voisin Type C27 was created with aerodynamics and aeronautical design in mind. Its maker, Gabriel Voisin, was an aviation pro who created the first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air plane in Europe capable of a sustained, controlled flight. His military aircraft greatly helped France during World War I. \n
\nAn aviation-and-architecture-inspired collaboration with designer Andr? Telmont, the 1934 Voisin Type C27 A?rosport Coupe features beautifully balanced coachwork and a semicircular roofline that mimics the outline of the cockpit. Its interior fabric, a geometric pattern unusual for the time, is new but was specially re-created based on a scrap of the original upholstery found in the car", credit: "Peter Harholdt", sourceid: null, sourcename: "", sourceurl: null, sourcelogo: "", thumbsrc: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/1V/classic-coupes-03-0713-smn.jpg", src: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/Ky/classic-coupes-03-0713-lgn.jpg", srcwidth: 600, srcheight: 450 }, { id: "slide4", url: "classic-coupes-7-sleek-rides-of-the-1920s-and-30s-4", slidetype: "image", title: "1935 Chrysler Imperial Model C-2 Airflow Coupe", description: "While most Art Deco cars featured aerodynamic curves, many were just based on what designers thought would slice through the wind best. Not so with Chrysler\'s Airflow, the first car to be designed with the aid of a wind tunnel. This groundbreaking snub-nosed coupe is notable for the absence of a long hood and sweeping fenders.\n
\nEngineer Carl Breer took his cues from military airplanes, putting great thought into wind resistance and air pressure, and even consulting with famed aviator Orville Wright during the process. Art Deco motifs embodied by this classic car include a decadent chrome grille, skirted fenders, multibar bumpers and cylindrical chrome-plated seat frames.", credit: "Peter Harholdt", sourceid: null, sourcename: "", sourceurl: null, sourcelogo: "", thumbsrc: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/pC/classic-coupes-04-0713-smn.jpg", src: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/XB/classic-coupes-04-0713-lgn.jpg", srcwidth: 600, srcheight: 450 }, { id: "slide5", url: "classic-coupes-7-sleek-rides-of-the-1920s-and-30s-5", slidetype: "image", title: "1936 Delahaye 135M Figoni & Falaschi Competition Coupe", description: "The Delahaye 135M was one of the first aerodynamic coupe designs by renowned French coach builders Joseph Figoni and Ovidio Falaschi. (The car on display at the Frist was commissioned by French racing driver Albert Perrot and kept secret during the German invasion of France during World War II.) It features sweeping enclosed fenders and a hand-built aluminum body, a 4.0-liter Delahaye six engine, a small trunk with just enough space for a spare tire, and a manual transmission with four speeds ? ideal for rally racing.", credit: "Peter Harholdt", sourceid: null, sourcename: "", sourceurl: null, sourcelogo: "", thumbsrc: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/tF/classic-coupes-05-0713-smn.jpg", src: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/pW/classic-coupes-05-0713-lgn.jpg", srcwidth: 600, srcheight: 450 }, { id: "slide6", url: "classic-coupes-7-sleek-rides-of-the-1920s-and-30s-6", slidetype: "image", title: "1938 Hispano-Suiza H6B Dubonnet \"Xenia\" Coupe", description: "Andr? Dubonnet, Dubonnet ap?ritif heir and amateur race-car driver, collaborated with designers and coachbuilders to create this coupe on a French-built Hispano-Suiza chassis he had purchased after the 1932 Paris Auto Salon. Dubonnet named it Xenia after his deceased first wife (though he was already married to his second wife at the time.) \n
\nThe car\'s designer, Jean Andreau, had a reputation for creating streamlined aircraft and automobiles. His signature style is evident in the handcrafted coupe\'s body, which mimics an airplane fuselage, the curved glass windshield, and the rearward-opening doors. Dubonnet had partnered with engineer Antoine-Marie Chedru to concept and patent a hyperflex independent front-suspension system years before. That too was included in the Xen", credit: "Peter Harholdt", sourceid: null, sourcename: "", sourceurl: null, sourcelogo: "", thumbsrc: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/15/classic-coupes-06-0713-smn.jpg", src: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/8z/classic-coupes-06-0713-lgn.jpg", srcwidth: 600, srcheight: 450 }, { id: "slide7", url: "classic-coupes-7-sleek-rides-of-the-1920s-and-30s-7", slidetype: "image", title: "1938 Talbot-Lago T-150C-SS Teardrop Coupe", description: "Another creation of Figoni and Falaschi, the Talbot-Lago T-150C was a popular racing car nicknamed Goutte d\'Eau (drop of water) by the French, and Teardrop Talbot by the English. Its unique aerodynamic contour mimics one of nature\'s most aerodynamic shapes: the water droplet, or teardrop, a popular Art Deco motif. \n
\nThe two builders spent 2100 hours handcrafting each body. Because they were hand-built, each Teardrop coupe is unique. The Talbot features a four-liter, six-cylinder engine equipped with a Hemi head that could fit three carburetors for 170 hp. This particular car was the first New York?style teardrop coupe, named so because it debuted at the 1937 New York Auto Show at the Grand Central Palace.", credit: "Peter Harholdt", sourceid: null, sourcename: "", sourceurl: null, sourcelogo: "", thumbsrc: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/7W/classic-coupes-07-0713-smn.jpg", src: "/cm/popularmechanics/images/jx/classic-coupes-07-0713-lgn.jpg", srcwidth: 600, srcheight: 450 } ] };
1929 Bugatti Type 46 Semi-Profile Coupe
The Bugatti on display at the Frist is a pristine period recreation. Originally a two-door sedan, its chassis was made in 1929 and bodied in 1930 by coach builder Old ich Ulik of Czechoslovakia. It was re-bodied into a coupe by Barry Price. This classic car features dramatic sweep panels, steep windscreens, valance-free fenders (no metal added to the side of the fender to prevent splashing along the body) and an elephant-hide leather interior.Related Links
Related Links
moratorium dwts season 14 cast leap day michigan primary results olympia snowe aapl
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.